Prestige Records: The Album Cover Collection

by Geoff Gans (Editor)

(Book + CD set) Containing the best, and some of the rarest LP covers produced over the long history of the Prestige label, this deluxe 130 page coffee table book also features an insightful introduction by famed jazz documentarian Ira Gitler who wrote liner notes for many of Prestige's earliest and best known records. In addition, the book contains an exclusive 9 track bonus CD featuring music culled from several classic Prestige albums. Miles Davis - Bemsha Swing, Stan Getz - Lee, Sonny Rollins - Paradox, Jackie McLean - Contour, Moondog - Organ Rounds, John Coltrane - Theme For Ernie, Mose Allison - The Seventh Son, Eric Dolphy - Serene, Booker Ervin - Stella By Starlight.

Genres: Music

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2009

Reviews

[Jack Batts · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book about designs, I found it ironic that the introduction was so poorly designed. The art behind the words made it very hard to read, but besides this, the cover art of all the albums is so beautiful and inspiring.

[Mike Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Often the first thing that draws me in to listen to unknown sounds is the album cover. Prestige Records, primarily a jazz label, produced many of the greatest records and some of the most interesting cover photographs of the 1950's and 60's. If you're into cover art and cover photos, you'll enjoy this book.

[Ron Maskell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book on the different types of visual and graphic designs for Prestige Records

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice hardcover book in a 10" x 10" format - bonus CD sampler.

Prestige is a great label, unfortunately usually mentioned in comparison to Blue Note. Both labels used a common set of jazz musicians and RVG as the engineer.

I heard that the main difference was that Blue Note paid for rehearsals. That and Alfred Lions high standards. Lots of good sessions were never released.

The book has some excellent covers, most of the 'collectors' usual suspects. I'd have appreciated more of the rare, hard to find covers.

Prestige had a habit of re-issuing the same albums repackaged - so there are multiple covers and a large sampling to try and cover.

Some of the covers could be photographed in sharper focus (digital artifacts?)

It's a lovely book and companion to the Graham Marsh/Glyn Callingham series.
Not an equal to those 3 books, but a good companion - for a collector, graphic designer or completist.